Exclusively for the FIF event, UMons, the University of Mons, researched the Belgian B2C funds market. We see amongst consumer especially a lack of general financial knowledge.

With its research, the University of Mons focuses on two consumer categories. The average Belgian is the control group, the readers of De Tijd/L’Echo are the group that is more accustomed with the financial world.

Only 25% of the control group knows the concept of MiFID or an organisation like FSMA, says Chantal Scoubeau, professor of Economy and Management at UMons. Amongst the readers of De Tijd/L’Echo, this increases to no less than 70%. With regards to funds, investors especially choose for sectors or markets that are inaccessible for them without funds, like for example growth markets, explains Laetitia Pozniak, assistant professor at UMons.

With this research, we have broken through a taboo.

Chantal Scoubeau
Professor of Economy and Management at UMons

Portfolio composition

Also the composition of the financial portfolio is interesting. For the average Belgian, funds make up just 17% of the portfolio. With 46%, they mainly aim at savings accounts, and for 9% at shares, says Chantal Scoubeau. Amongst the readers, shares make for the majority (39%), funds are important (21%) and savings accounts are less important than for the average Belgian (22%).

The biggest challenge of this research? Money is something that is often not openly discussed. Shareholders and investors usually don’t provide details about their portfolio and motivations, out of fear for reactions from their surroundings. I am happy that with this research we have broken through a taboo, Chantal Scoubeau concludes.